ALBUM REVIEW: The Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace in Toronto 1969

    In September of 1969, John Lennon was invited to Toronto in Canada to view the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival,  a 12 hour show of multiple popular rock acts from the 50s and 60s and a glorious celebration of rock and roll; acts such as Chicago, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, and Little Richard (hallowed by thy name) were amongst the billing, with The Doors headlining the event. John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were invited to preside over the event as a sort of "king and queen" deal, however John misunderstood the memo when he was called - he replied that he would get a band together before the show, and The Plastic Ono Band was born in just 24 hours, with John Lennon and Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voorman on bass, and session man Alan White on drums - it was the same day as this band's forming when John decided that he would leave The Beatles, and he would tell the group a week later. Released in December of that year, Live Peace in Toronto is, by some measure, the first truly proper Beatles solo release, showcasing the group's performance in its entirety. Unfortunately, The Plastic Ono Band's debut is a little rough - while there's some undoubtedly killer moments on this set, a lot of it ultimately falls flat with the generally low energy of the band and a dismal second half. It's the best album from John yet, although it's a definite disappointment considering the expectations.

    Perhaps my criticism of the group on this album is a little unfair or nitpicky - this was their first performance, after all, and barely a day after the line-up came together. Still, with a group of such sharp players running through tunes of their youth, it's hard not to expect more energy and life from the songs here. It's especially shocking, because there are moments on here that really do bring the hype for the performance, with moments like the blazing rendition of "Money" and a solid runthrough of "Yer Blues" showing the best of the group - John is giving his all on these moments, Clapton is as good of a guitar player as he ever was, and Alan White makes a solid timekeeper with Voorman's steady, methodical bass-playing. We also get an early version of John's "Cold Turkey" song, a reflection on his heroin withdrawl, albeit without the blazing, distorted riff of the single version. A plugged-in version of "Give Peace a Chance" is also here, although I should inform you that the idea sounds better on paper than it is here - something about this version just doesn't really sound right. Still, with these moments you're getting what little good and great there is on the album, and these show a loose band with just enough energy to carry a few stellar numbers.

    Of course, there's an entire rest of the album outside of these few moments, and it's not just Yoko's side that's weak. As I previously mentioned, The Plastic Ono Band doesn't necessarily have the sharpest sound for a group made up of such talented musicians, and I think that shows through immediately on this album - for as fast-paced and lively as "Blue Suede Shoes" is, this rendition has got to be the drowsiest I've ever heard with its slower pace and lack of real drive to the song, even with a great solo from Eric Clapton. This is the part where I also mention that John Lennon's voice isn't exactly up to ship-shape on this live performance, and a song like "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" showcases this best with his cracking voice and lack of power, also present on "Blue Suede Shoes". He honestly sounds a little sick, but at the very least he doesn't sound that sure of himself (I suppose it had been nearly four years since he last played a proper live gig, but still). And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the second half of the album, which is all for Yoko Ono to play some music to the audience. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I hate everything Yoko does, because I've honest to God found some of it intriguing (although that's most likely for future reviews), but I can absolutely see why a good majority of listeners are completely turned off by her style, and 12 minutes of "John, John (Let's Hope for Peace)" is the perfect encapsulation of that. Ugh.

    Live Peace in Toronto may mark a proper beginning of John's solo career, but we still had a little ways to go - early the following year, the "Instant Karma!" single was really the signal of something new, and one year after this album we got John's Plastic Ono Band album, still one of the absolute best Beatles solo records to this day. Live Peace may be some light fun at many points, but ultimately that doesn't stop it from being a little messy, a little low energy, and a little grating all at once. It's no wonder to me why John didn't particularly love live performances - here he looks a little bit like a fool.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Live Peace in Toronto 1969.